Device for protecting riparian lands from overflow



(-No Model.)

DEVICE FOR PROTECTING RIPARIAN LANDS PROM OVEEPLO-W.

No; 514,767. Patented Feb. 13, 1894-.

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- NITED STATES ATENT Y Fries.

WILLIAM MOOAUGHAN AND HARPER MCOAUGHAN, OF GULFPORT,

MISSISSIPPI.

DEVICE FOR PROTECTING RIPARIAN LANDS FROM OVERFLOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,767, dated February13, 1894.

Application filed March 23, 1393.

5 have invented a new and Improved Means for Protecting Riparian Landsfrom Overflow, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improved means of protecting riparian landsfrom the overflow of rivers whose banks are-protected by levees, as theMississippi for instance, and it consists in the peculiar constructionand arrangement of the several features of the invention which we willnow proc'eedto describe with reference to the drawings in which- Figure1 is a plan view and Fig. 2 a sectional view taken through the line00-93. I In the drawings A represents the river whose banks upon eachside are protected by raised embankments or levees B B. In one of thebanks we cut an outlet 0, and also provide an outlet channel 0 back ofthe opening, said channel 0' having levees D D upon eachjside of thesame. This outlet channel extends to a lower lying basin or reservoirinto which the surplus waters may be received and retained, or bedrained away to some other outlet. By this construction aportion of thewater from the main stream A is led off through the outlet channel, butin order to prevent the water from the main stream from entering theoutlet channel at all times, we construct a dam E across said channelnear its month which dam is of apredetermined height, being lower thanthat of the levees and just high enough to permit overflow here whenthe-danger point in the altitude of the main stream is reached from aflood or other cause. During the normal flow of the river this dam formsa part of the levee on this bank of the river. This dam is inclined oneach side of its middle to permit a steady rise upon the river side, andan easy and gradual flow upon the other side, to prevent violent washingand the destruction of the dam.

The levees and dam are constructed in any suitable manner and of anymaterial, and in order 'to protect the entrance to the outlet Serial No.467,339- (No model.)

channel we construct fenders F at each cornor of the junction of themain stream and overflow channel, which fenders extend some distance upand down stream, and also some distance past the dam in the overflowchannel. These fenders prevent the washing of the corners. c

To prevent washing the dam it is provided with a non-erosive face G. Asshown the fenders are made of piles with a heavy plank or timber facing,and the non-erosive faceof the dam is also constructed of sheet pilesdriven perpendicularly across the outlet channel. fenders and the facingof the dam may be built of masonry or any suitable material withoutdeparting from our invention.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that in times of flood orfreshet the river will rise until it reaches the level of the top of thedam E, and after this instead of endangering the banks of the river bycutting crevasses in the levees, it will flow over the dam and thesuperfluous water will thus be disposed of so that the river cannot riseabove a certain level and its banks will at all times be preservedintact. These overflow passages and dams may be located at any pointalong the banks of the river, and as many of them may be provided as isnecessary to dispose of the extra volume of water.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The means for preventing the overflow of low-lying riparianlandsprotected by levees, which consists of a non-erosive dam forming a partof one of thelevees and arranged with its top at a predetermineddistance below the tops of said levees, an outlet channel lying back ofthe said dam, and means for confining the water in said channel,substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The means for preventing the overflow of low-lying riparian landsprotected by levees, which consists of a lateral channel waycommunicating with the main stream and provided with 1evees,'anon-erosive dam placed It is obvious, however, that both the across thelateral channel near its mouth and forlningapart 0f the main levees ofthe stream at low Water but made of less height than said main levees,and fenders or guards F arranged at the junction of the lateral channelwith the main stream and extending a short distance up and down stream,and also along the'lateral channel past the dam, substantially as andfor the purpose described.

WILLIAM MCOAUGHAN. HARPER MCOAUGHAN. Witnesses:

GEORGE MCOAUGHAN, WM. G. WALKER.

